The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-02-10
FARMERS TALK
ABOUT THE RECENT FARME ERS'
CONVENTION AND IT'S WORK.
Our Correspondent Seems to Try 10 De.
strOy the Good York OF the Farmers by
Ridiculing 1t.


Especial Cor. STATE CHRoNICLE.1
Some writtr has said ''Ridicule that
amt true is mighty dangerous weapon
to use: the handle is sharper than the
pain" Our friend "Obseryer' could not
have been in the Farmers syentjon or
he would not have sought t3akake light
of its work by riuicule. Neither wouIu'
he intimate that it was run by any but
farmers had he been there
But his article is we'll written, is a smart
and bright criticism of some things about
the Farmers Convention, and everybody
who loves to read what a bright man has
to say, in novel way, about most inter
estlng subject, will read it with pleasure
We believe in giving all sides a hearing,
anyhow, and if there did not exist any
other reason, the communication should
have place in the CHRONICLE.
In one thing We agree with our friend:
The money derived from the fertilizer Ii
cense ought to be put into the Treasury
and all Departments, schools, colleges,
&c, given an amount direct from the same
source. Make each object asking money
depend upon its merits and not upon a
supposed unappropriated und.-EDIToR.
A group of farmers was gathered near
the market last Saturday discussing mat
ters in general and the recent Farmers
Convention in particular. | caught a few
''hOrney headed ideas, as passed, which
| report for your valuable paper, as proof
that the farmers do need education badly.
The Farmers Convention.
Tell US about the Convention" said
half dozen, each asking the other. Only
one man lad been in the Convention.
"Well, frier u.s." said he, Il don't under
stand it. l hadn't hearn about it, until
walked span into the meeting. l took a
back seat and asked my neighbor what
was gwine on. He said as how the farm
ers of the State had met together to put
down the lawyers, the editors, the bankers,
the merchants and the politicians 'Yes,
SIR" said he, this is the Farmers Field
Day" l felt pretty big, l tell you. |
never see so many fine clothes on farmers
backs in all my life. Sez | to myself, sez
|, Farming is not so bad a business after
all. 1t pays some people purity we'll"
About that time fine, handsome farmer,
with a splendid voice, called the meetin
to order. who's that" sez |. 30, don't
you know him,' sez my neighbor. Hes
the farmers editor. All the farmers take
his paper" ''Oh.' sez l. Then a hand
some fellow with gold specs interduced
some resolutions demanding the eleva-
tion of the farmers above everybody else.
''Who's that?" sez l. 80, he's a lawyer.
He is going to be the farmers candidate
for Congress" ''Oh!' seZ |. Then a sprucy
looking chap made speech in favor OF
higher prices for cotton, tobacco aud wheat
and lower prices for sugar and calico. I'm
bet that's a farmer" sez l. There you
are mistaken again" sez my neighbour,
''he's the farmers banker. He lends mon
ey to the farmer and wants to help him
along" That's jis the trouble" sez l,
there's too many folks helping the far
mer along" Well, gentlemcns, l stayed
there all day, and it mought been a
Field Day for the farmers, as my neigh
Dor said but thought to myself ''It takes
mighty few field hands to make a Field
Day"
The Agricultural College.
What sort of a college is this they are
gwine to start for the farmers Why it's
place where the farmers boys can learn
how to make crops without working. You
see how the lawyers and doctors get along
without work, and the preachers and mer-
chants: we'll, it's time for the farmers to
do that way, and all they need is the right
education.
eyes, that's what's the matter with the
niggers now. A little edication has split
em for work. Well, l hear tell these col
lege farmers raise powerful big crops. |
hear say one of 'em raised $50 barrels of
corn to the acre. How's that?" Why
you see he planted two 1ower-pOts with
corn. Then he counted the grains. Then
he measured the size of the pots. Then
he calculated how many pots could set on
an acre of ground. Then he multiplied
and made 15O barrels Of corn. You know
it takes education to do that.
''Well, it may be SO; but | shan't be-
lieve it till see all them pots on the acre.
no. You know they amt gwine to have
all that foolishness. They want college
to teach the boys how to work in a sort of
genteel, 'specterful sort of way. When
college boys 60 to plowin' and hOein' and
all them professors, then farmin' will be
the most spectacle perfession in the State,
and then you can't hire man to be a
banker. Well, always heard that folks
went to college to keep from working, but
bless my life, you can't tell what will hap
pen. Where's all the money coming from
TO feed them farmer-boys and buy 'em
long tailed coats while they are gittin' all
this larnin'? Is the State gwinea to pay all
the bills2 Bless your life, that's the point.
I'm mighty feard O. one thing: Whatever
college they have, the farmer will have to
pay all the bills, one way or another.
That's so, and I've got bills enough at the
stores and the banks, without paying for
a new-fangled college. College or no col
lege, / must keep my boys at home.
hoe in the field is worth two at college"
The Industrial School.
'Tll be mighty glad when that ''Dus-
trial School gifts a-goin They're gwlne
to educate carpenters, SO that farmers can
git their barns built cheap. Why, have
to pay dollar and half for white car
penter and a dollar for nigger. When
that 'Dustrial School begins to turn 'em
out by the wholesale, we'll git carpenters
for twenty cents a day and board their
selves why, you've got the wrong no.
ton, man; that school is to raise wages
and give poor boys chance I'm going
to send my boy there and git two dollars
a day for his work. "What sort O. work?''
''Why, just planning plank You see,
they can't afford to build houses at the
School hats too expensive; and, be-
sides, people git their houses built cheaper
by the regular carpenters. So they'll keep
the boys planning and saving and boring
and hammering and measuring and paw
'em two dollars day for it, until they
graduate" "Well, after they graduate,
do you reckon people are gwine to hire
them instead of the regular carpeEtsrs2n
sno reckone Ughi Well have another |